Track and field season gets into high gear today with Gibson Relays

The 2019 local track and field season gets into high gear on Saturday with the 43rd staging of the Puma Gibson McCook Relays at the National Stadium, starting at 9:00 am.

The meet will definitely provide a clearer picture of what to come at the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls' Athletics Championships where Calabar High will be seeking eight straight boys' titles and 29 overall and Edwin Allen, their sixth straight girls' title and seven overall.

All of the top schools will be competing, unlike last year when Calabar High boycotted the meet. Leading up to the meet there were rumours that the Red Hills Road-based school would not enter because the coaching staff was upset that Kingston College (KC) did not send a team to the Wint McKenley meet, which was held at Calabar.

The main organisers of the Gibson McCook Relays are KC Old Boys

Both Calabar and Edwin Allen have been dominating since the start of the season and it will be interesting to see what will happen on Saturday as all the top athletes are expected to be on show.

All eyes will be on the high powered Class One team of Calabar and the all-conquering Class Three team of Edwin Allen High.

Christopher Taylor, Michael Stephens and Dejour Russell will lead Calabar in Class One with the Clayton twin sisters Tia and Tina leading the exciting Class Three team of Edwin Allen.

Edwin Allen also have an all-conquering Class Two team, which is led by Kevona Davis.

KC, which are very strong in Class Two, and Jamaica College with a very dominate Class 3 team, will provide stiff competition for Calabar, while Edwin Allen look untouchable based on what has transpired for far this season and will prove too strong for Holmwood Technical, Hydel High and St Jago.

The day will be highlighted by 15 championship events where record breakers in those events will get $75,000.

Meanwhile, regional broadcast giants SportsMax has announced comprehensive coverage plans for the event.

According to SportsMax Vice-President in charge of Marketing, Tanya Lee, the aim of the sweeping package put together by the broadcasters is to make the event not just widely available but also readymade for fans hoping to keep track with the relay festival on the go.

By leveraging its online platforms with traditional coverage, SportsMax hopes to not only bring the meet to track and field fans across the island but to engage a wider audience around the globe.

“We know that track and field fans both here and across the globe look forward to Jamaica’s biggest and most watched relay festival,” Lee said

“SportsMax is pleased to once again offer unlimited access to the Gibson McCook Relays, so that no matter where you are on Saturday, you can catch the excitement as if you were seated at the National Stadium.”

The meet will be available for viewing on SportsMax, beginning at 4:00 pm. For US$4.99 viewers will also be able to access a live stream of the event beginning from 9:00 am at sportsmax.tv/gibson.

In addition to the live stream, viewers will be treated to live updates, which will be provided throughout the day via the organisation’s social media pages, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter using the hashtag #GibsonRelays.

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